August 24, 2012 
Port of Seattle Commission 
2711 Alaskan Way 
Seattle, WA 98121 
Dear Port of Seattle Commissioners: 
We are concerned about the appearance of a conflict of interest and ethical issues raised by the Port of Seattle CEO's dual
employment on the board of directors of an international logistics company, Expeditors' International, with direct economic interest in
the Port's operations. 
As the board president of Expeditor's International, Mr. Yoshitani will receive additional annual compensation of approximately
$250,000, including stock options, for a total annual compensation of more than $600,000. It is our understanding that no other major
port director in the U.S. sits on the board of a private company in the transportation or logistics industry. 
Expeditors' reported revenues exceeded $6 billion in 2011. Expeditors' directs their customers' goods through different ports and
negotiates directly with local service suppliers on their customers' behalf. Expeditors' International provides freight forwarding
services for shippers that have contracts or may have contracts at the Port of Seattle, including Foxxcon, Nike, Cisco, Intel, Kodak and
many other shippers. 
As stated in Expeditors' 2011 Annual Report: "The global logistics services industry is intensely competitive Depending on the
location of the shipper and the importer, the Company must compete against both niche players and larger entities." Expeditors'
International has been under investigation since 2007 by the U.S. Department of Justice for anti-competitive behavior. 
It appears to the public that Mr. Yoshitani may directly and personally benefit by giving Expeditors' customers a competitive 
advantage over other Port of Seattle customers, and as Port CEO he has the power to prioritize his personal profit over the public
mission of the taxpayer-supported Port of Seattle. 
We understand the Port of Seattle Commission did not publicly review or approve the CEO's outside employment, leaving that
decision to one of the CEO's subordinates. Under state law it is the Port Commission's responsibility to supervise the managing
officer of the Port. We are concerned about the precedent this sets for public officials, as well as the message this sends to Expeditors'
competitors, their customers and other Washington Ports. 
Sincerely, 
Rep. Zack Hudgins                  Rep. Derek Stanford                 Sen. David Frockt 
11th District                          1st District                           46th District 
Rep. Dave Upthegrove                Rep. Tina Orwall                   Sen. Sharon Nelson 
33rd District                           33rd District                           34th District 
Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon                   Rep. Patrick Sullivan                  Rep. Luis Moscoso 
34th District                          47th District                          1st District 
Rep. Gerry Pollet                     Sen. Karen Keiser 
46th District                            33rd District 
Rep. Bob Hasegawa                 Sen. Adam Kline 
11th District                            37th District